Millbrook, along with many other schools in the county, offers the National Achievers Society program. The goal of this program to is make academic achievement not only something to strive for, but something that is seen as respectable and cool by students’ peers.

 This honor society seeks out students of color with a GPA of at least 3.0. Their goal is to show kids that what they do in the classroom really matters, that it means something to succeed academically. It looks to induct students during their sophomore year, in order to further encourage academic excellence throughout the remainder of their high school careers.

The National Achievers Society inducts all types of students, especially those who can balance their schoolwork with other school activities. Student athletes, students in clubs and leadership roles, and students in school programs such as the DMCA are just a few examples of the different types of students that the honors society seeks out to induct. It also encourages inductees to join other honor societies in the future.

 Junior Kaylee Zuniga, a member of the society, said she loves being in the National Achievers Society because “it allows for commonly overlooked kids of color to be given the opportunity to be a part of a welcoming and academically progressive society. We offer many volunteering opportunities and social gatherings to help build stronger relationships with the other kids in the society. I think it’s a great way to motivate kids of color to strive for excellence and greater achievements later in life!”

 The National Achievers Society worked with the Millbrook Executive Board (MEB) to write notes with thoughtful poems and prayers to give to Jones High School in Trenton, on the coast of North Carolina. Millbrook adopted this school in the wake of the destruction that Hurricane Florence caused to offer them support, and to help them rebuild their community. The organization also adopts a family for Christmas every year to give gifts to and help make their holiday season more enjoyable.

 The National Achievers Society is an integral part of our school and many other schools near us. It acknowledges students’ hard work, which may not be recognized otherwise because of the peer pressure, which surrounds all of us as teenagers. Fellow teenagers preaching that it is “cool” not to do their work, and to bond with each other over failing grades. But this society demonstrates that this is, in fact, not cool at all. The “cool” kids are the ones who can balance activities with schoolwork and the ones who will eventually succeed in life.